novelnext Chapter 14 The Ignited Spark
Chapter 14 The Ignited Spark
The so-called east wind arrived two days later.
There is a niche left-wing news blog in Pittsburgh called "Rust Voice".
This blog doesn't have many readers, but they are all very loyal.
Most of them are union members, university professors, and community activists who are disappointed with the mainstream media.
The blog's founder and sole contributor is a retired investigative journalist named Emily Chan.
She happened to see a video of "The Heart of Pittsburgh".
At first, she thought this was just another attention-seeking young person trying to gain traffic by criticizing the government.
But she patiently watched the entire video.
The video contains no exaggerated performances or sentimental music; it features only a young man sitting in front of a fireplace, using the simplest language to recount an injustice that is unfolding.
The video's sincerity and sharpness moved the veteran reporter.
She immediately wrote a recommendation article and published it on her blog.
The article's title is very straightforward.
This young man is telling the truth that Pittsburgh dares not say.
In the article, Emily Chan not only recommended Leo's video, but also used her own experience as a veteran journalist to supplement and confirm the chain of evidence that Leo presented.
She pointed out that several city councilors are also involved behind the Summit Development Group.
Together they form a vested interest group that is systematically encroaching on Pittsburgh's public land resources.
Readers of "Rust Voice" began sharing the article and Leo's video.
They shared the video link in various local Pittsburgh Facebook groups, as well as on the internal forums of the United Steelworkers and the Teachers' Union.
The video is starting to go viral.
The number of views began to grow exponentially at an incredible speed.
One thousand, five thousand, ten thousand...
Within a few days, the video, which originally had only a few hundred views, surpassed 50,000 views.
The comments section was completely exploded.
Many residents of the community centers shared their experiences in the comments section.
George, Rosa, and Mike, with Sarah's help, all registered YouTube accounts and used their own experiences to verify the authenticity of Leo's video content.
"I am George. Leo is right. It was the community center that taught me how to use a computer and allowed me to see my grandson."
"I am Rosa. If it weren't for my friends here, I might have died alone at home long ago."
These heartfelt and genuine comments make the video's content extremely persuasive.
Public opinion began to ferment.
"The Heart of Pittsburgh" became a hot topic in Pittsburgh overnight.
People started talking about it in cafes, bars, and at their own family dinner tables.
What was originally an event confined to a small community is evolving into a citywide public issue.
Mainstream media can no longer pretend they don't see it.
The Pittsburgh Chronicle, the city's largest-circulation newspaper, was finally forced to follow up with the report.
Their report was published on an inconspicuous page of the newspaper.
The article is filled with arrogance and prejudice.
They described Leo as a "radical activist with an unclear background," implying that he had ulterior political motives.
They portrayed the residents of the community center as a group of "holdouts" who refused to develop the city.
But they still reported it in the end.
They informed the wider public of Leo's name and the fact that the community center was about to be auctioned off.
This is enough.
"You see, son," Roosevelt said in Leo's mind, "that's how politics works. When they can't ignore you, they start smearing you. This is a good sign; it means we've hurt them."
Fame brings attention.
Attention brings the most tangible benefit—money.
At the end of the second video, Sarah added a link to a small online donation, as instructed by Leo.
She stated directly that all funds raised would be used transparently and openly for the community center's legal and promotional expenses.
At first, donations came in only sporadically.
Most of the donations were small amounts, such as $5 or $10.
Most of the donors were community residents and their relatives and friends.
But as the video spread, the frequency and amount of donations began to increase significantly.
The citizens of Pittsburgh, complete strangers, began to vote for this battle with their own money.
A truck driver donated $20 and left a message saying, "I drive past that community center every day, and I don't want to see it become an apartment building for the rich."
A student from the University of Pittsburgh donated $5, leaving a note saying, "I don't have any money, but this is my lunch money for today. Please accept it."
A retired teacher donated $50 and left a message saying, "A good community is the best education. Please preserve it for the children."
These small donations have come together to form a warm current.
It proves one thing: the heart of this city has not completely died.
One evening, Leo and Sarah were in the community center office, organizing the donation data.
The total amount of donations has exceeded ten thousand US dollars, which is enough to cover their cost of hiring a professional lawyer.
Just then, a new donation record suddenly popped up on the screen.
That was a number that stunned them both.
Five thousand US dollars.
This number seems enormous compared to the previous donation records of tens or hundreds of dollars.
The donors' names are anonymous.
But he left a simple message at the end.
"My father used to work at the Homestead factory. After he lost his job, he received electrical skills training at that community center. That new job gave our family a chance to start over. Now, it's my turn."
Leo looked at the message, at the donation figures still jumping on the back-end screen, and at the words full of support and encouragement.
For the first time, he truly felt the power of the words "fame" and "the people".
It is a power more precious than money and more solid than power.
Roosevelt's voice echoed in his mind.
"See? We have both money and people."
"Now, we can take these with us to next week's community hearing and give the mayor and his friends a big surprise."
He paused for a moment, his tone full of anticipation.
"Remember, Leo, fame itself is meaningless. But when you learn how to turn it into projectiles fired at the enemy, it becomes very, very meaningful."
……
Pittsburgh City Hall is a stately building.
Granite walls, towering columns, and city mottoes engraved above the gate.
All of this proclaims the authority and order of power to those who enter.
The community hearing is about to begin.
Leo Wallace, wearing a not-too-old suit, led Margaret, Frank, and a dozen or so community representatives up the steps in front of the city hall.
He bought this suit from a secondhand store using a small portion of the community donations he received.
Although it didn't fit perfectly, at least it made him look like he didn't just run out of the university library.
This was the first time they had stepped from the streets of protest into this hall of power.
The residents' faces were filled with tension and awe.
They were used to working with machines in factory workshops and chatting with neighbors on the streets of the community, but they never imagined that one day they would walk into this place that determines the fate of the city.
The hearing was held in a small conference room on the third floor.
The meeting room was simply furnished with a huge horseshoe-shaped conference table and several rows of chairs for the public to listen in.
When Leo and his group walked in, several people were already seated on one side of the conference table.
The leader was a man in his forties, wearing a well-tailored dark gray suit and gold-rimmed glasses.
His hair was meticulously combed, and he wore a polite smile, but his eyes were like a scalpel—cold, sharp, and devoid of any emotion.
When he saw Leo and the others come in, he even stood up and nodded with a smile.
"Watch out for this snake in a suit, Leo," Roosevelt's voice rang out. "He's our real opponent today. He won't argue with you about right and wrong; he'll just use countless rules and procedures you've never heard of before to strangle you to death."
Leo took this warning to heart.
He and the residents sat down in the gallery.
Soon, the meeting was chaired by the chairman of the city planning commission, a bald man named Robert Jennings, who announced the start of the hearing.
His tone was full of bureaucratic flatness.
According to procedure, community representatives, as stakeholders, can make their statements first.
Leo stood up and walked to the podium.
He took out a carefully prepared statement, intending to tell the committee members present about the history of the community center, its significance to unemployed workers and the elderly, and that a city's conscience should not be bought with money.
He cleared his throat and began to speak.
"Mr. Chairman, distinguished members. We are here today to discuss an issue more important than property tax: the soul of our city..."
He had only said two sentences.
The man in the suit raised his hand.
"Objection," he interrupted Leo. "The speaker's statement is irrelevant to the topic of this hearing."
Chairman Jennings immediately turned to Leo.
"Mr. Wallace, please note that the sole topic of this hearing is the review of the municipal auction process for the Steelworkers Community Centre site. Please speak on that topic."
Leo was stunned.
His prepared weapon was disarmed by the other side in the first second.
Roosevelt's voice rang out.
"Welcome to their world, child. Here, soul and conscience are meaningless words. You must talk to them about rules, and defeat them with their language."
Leo took a deep breath and put away the statement.
He began to raise his own questions from a legal procedural perspective.
"Alright, Mr. Chairman, let's talk about the procedures then."
"According to Section 112, Paragraph 3 of the Pittsburgh Municipal Code, the municipal tax department must provide a written response within thirty business days to any application for tax relief for nonprofit organizations, stating the specific reasons. To the best of our knowledge, the community center has never received any formal written response."
After he finished speaking, he looked at the man in the suit.
The man still had a smile on his face.
He waited until Leo finished speaking before slowly standing up.
"My name is Alan Wechsler." He introduced himself first, then turned to Chairman Jennings, "My client, Summit Development Group, is the legitimate bidder for this auction."
"Regarding the question Mr. Wallace just raised, I can respond. This is a receipt from the municipal tax department, sent to the community center on October 3rd of this year, regarding the rejection of his tax relief application."
He took a document out of his folder and handed it to the chairman.
Margaret, who was in the audience, stood up excitedly.
"We never received that letter!"
Chairman Jennings tapped the table.
"Please keep quiet, Mr. Wechsler! Please continue."
Wechsler smiled and nodded at Margaret, then continued.
"Whether the letter was received falls under the scope of postal service, but the city government has indeed fulfilled its obligation to notify. Therefore, there are no flaws in the legal process."
Leo felt like he had punched a cotton ball.
His first prepared attack was easily neutralized by the opponent.
Over the next hour, the hearing turned into an unequal legal battle.
Every question raised by Leo was refuted by Wechsler with a series of documents and legal provisions, leaving no room for error.
Wechsler makes no mention of the social value of community centers, the plight of the elderly, or any moral or emotional topics.
He only talks about the law and the procedures.
Is it true that the community center is in arrears on property taxes?
That's true. Wechsler produced a tax arrears notice from the tax authorities.
Are the announcements for municipal auctions published in advance as required?
It has been published. Wechsler presented screenshots of the announcement on the city government website and photocopies of the announcement in the local newspaper.
Is the entire auction process open to all bidders?
It's open. Wechsler said, it just so happens that only his client was interested in the land that would incur additional demolition costs.
His argument was flawless.
He successfully portrayed this controversial collusion between officials and businessmen as a completely legitimate business transaction.
All of Leo's arguments about "community memory" and "workers' dignity" appear pale and powerless in this labyrinth of legal provisions.
He watched helplessly as he and the community residents were dragged into this battlefield that was extremely disadvantageous to them, and were beaten back by the other side using rules that he was completely unfamiliar with.
Finally, Chairman Jennings cleared his throat, preparing to give a summary.
"Given that the community center did indeed default on its tax obligations, and that the relevant procedures for the municipal auction appear to have no obvious flaws at first glance."
He glanced at Wechsler, then at Leo, whose face was ashen.
"I hereby declare this hearing adjourned. The auction will proceed as planned, on Wednesday morning at 10:00 AM two weeks from now, in the auction hall on the first floor of the City Hall."
The residents' faces were filled with disappointment and anger.
Frank couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath.
Just when everyone thought the matter was settled.
Chairman Jennings added another sentence.
"Of course, if the community can present decisive new evidence of significant flaws in the auction process before the final auction is executed, the committee can reconvene an emergency hearing."
After he finished speaking, he struck the gavel and adjourned the meeting.
Wechsler stood up, straightened his tie, and walked over to Leo.
He stretched out his hand.
"You're excellent, Mr. Wallace," he said, his smile still impeccable. "For a young man without a law license to have achieved this much is remarkable. I look forward to our next meeting."
Leo did not shake hands with him.
He simply stared into the other person's cold eyes.
Wechsler didn't care; he withdrew his hand, turned, and left the conference room.
In their first direct confrontation, they suffered a complete defeat.
This is a task that is almost impossible to complete.
In less than a week, find decisive evidence that leaves the other party with no room for error in the legal process and exposes major flaws.
This is like finding a needle in a haystack.